A/N This chapter is inspired by John 6:25-71.

Hope woke up with the apostles at the crack of dawn. A few of them yawned before discussing breakfast plans. Jesus reminded them of the feast. One apostle (still no name tags) volunteered to go back to the boat to get one of the baskets of scraps. While that apostle was gone, another apostle relit the fire which had gone out during the night. The others started cleaning up camp.

There wasn't much for Hope to do without giving herself away. Instead, she sat up and unwrapped the shoelace holding the splint in place. The swelling in her ankle had gone down a little, but when she touched the spot, she still winced in pain.

By the time she put the splint back on with her sock over it for more protection, the missing apostle arrived with the basket of scraps. Jesus had everyone sit down so He could bless the food.

Once the food was blessed, everyone grabbed a handful of scraps from the basket. Some of those who grabbed the fish put the fish on a stick and held it over the fire. Hope giggled a little. It reminded her of roasting hotdogs over a fire at home. At least something is familiar.

Hope crawled around the group to get to the basket and stuck her hand in when no one was looking. Her hand closed in on some bread. Hope sighed. There was no butter this time. She closed her eyes and took a bite. It didn't suit her taste, but it filled her.

Breakfast was soon over. Since the apostles packed up camp earlier, they all stood up and following Jesus who was leading them to another town.

Hope scrambled back to the tree where she left her walking stick. She used the walking stick and the tree to push herself up to standing position. She panted at the effort. Looking at the group, who were already a good distance away, Hope hobbled to catch up.

At the gates to the new town, Jesus walked right in and seemed to make a beeline to a beautifully white, decently sized, two story building. Those in the town who were already awake started following Him as soon as they saw Him. Hope made sure to follow closely to Jesus so not to lose Him in the crowd again.

As they approached the beautiful building, another, larger crowd came in from the other side of town. Hope squinted and started to recognize some of them from the feast, especially the little boy who gave his lunch to the apostles.

Jesus continued into the beautiful building. Hope, following, staggered back, not only from her ankle, but also from the sheer beauty inside. This place seemed to Hope like a theater with a wide platform in front and rows of columns on either side creating balconies. Hope guessed that this was a temple or a synagogue.

Recovering from her awe, she realized that if she didn't hurry, she'd miss a good spot with the apostles. She hobbled to the front and off to the side.

Jesus made His way to the platform. The crowd was still coming in. Hope looked around and saw that there wasn't another female around. She started to panic. Was she not allowed in there? She wanted to hear Jesus!

Then she looked up. The ladies were in the synagogue, just in the balconies. Hope shook her head; she was not about to climb some stairs in her condition.

Everyone that wanted to come in seemed to have done so. Just as Jesus opened His mouth to speak, the crowd exclaimed, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"

Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled."

A few members of the crowd looked a little guilty.

Jesus continued, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."

The crowd looked excited about this new food, so they asked Jesus, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"

Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."

Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do?"

One of the people in the back had a proud voice when he said, "Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

Hey, I remember that, Hope thought.

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

The crowd became excited again and said, "Lord, give us this bread always."

Jesus sighed (and so did Hope behind Him), and said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

The crowd looked confused. Some of them even started complaining. "Blasphemy," they whispered.

Jesus continued, "But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day."

Hope clapped quietly at His speech. However, there were very few that agreed with her sentiments. She heard murmurs of disdain.

"Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, 'I have come down from heaven'?" This idea quickly spread through the crowd.

Jesus had mercy on the crowd and therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day."

This seemed to calm the crowd down, if only for a moment.

He continued, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

Most assuredly, I say to you he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

Hope watched as many jaws dropped. Do they get it now?

The crowd, after the initial shock, began to quarrel among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"

Hope facepalmed. Of course they didn't get it. They won't get it until the Last Supper or even the cross, maybe not even then.

Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven — not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."

There were many in the audience that whined, saying, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"

Hope looked at them in sorrow. "I understand it," she whispered.

Hope glanced at Jesus who looked back at the crowd in similar, although more subtle, sorrow. He said to them, "Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe. Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."

The crowd continued to whine and, one by one and group by group, they left the synagogue. Very few remained in the room, most of them being the twelve apostles. Hope stayed. A few other men mingled around the room, and a few women mingled around the balconies. Hope started to cry.

Then Jesus, with a few tears of His own, said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"

Hope looked up. The one she recognized as Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." The twelve nodded. Peter continued, "Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The apostles smiled. Even Hope smiled.

That is, until Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"

One of the apostles in the back shifted his feet and looked down. That one must be Judas Iscariot, Hope decided.

A/N I can't believe I haven't updated since August! It's been in my head but never typed out.

They are in Capernaum now which is kinda like Jesus' base of operations. Hope is going to fly solo for awhile, and she has already messed up some, but it looks like she is keeping her head up!

Disney fan5: Sorry for the delay! I hope this chapter is long enough to hold you over until next time!

As always, please read and review!